Stage 5: Sorgues – Ventoux Malaucene. 199km / 5152m. Wed 30th June
Year of Stage: 2021

There’ll only be one mountain on most people’s minds today, but this is a long stage and we shouldn’t forget that first we have to navigate a relatively bumpy parcours that gets us there. This part of the world is blissful in July, and despite the heat and the hills you’ll appreciate the sounds and scents of the Provençale summer – the whirring crickets, the orchards and vineyards, and the tiny stone villages, with their tiled rooftops and overflowing gardens. Before we get to our first ascent of Ventoux we have to get over the Col de la Liguière, around 10km of fairly steep ramps, taking us from the fertile lowlands around Apt to a higher landscape of parched soil and pine needles. Then, once we arrive in lavender-scented Sault, we begin our first ascent of the Géant de Provence, spending at least an hour climbing through shaded pine forests, before we reach the wind-blasted scree slopes for which this mountain is famous. Once we make the summit we’ll whip down to Malaucène, before turning back south, and heading over to Bédoin to tackle Ventoux’s most famous climb. This is likely to be the hardest day of the Tour for many, but the elation of summiting this legendary climb always makes up for the hardship of the ascent, and the final triumphant descent back to Malaucéne will have you singing at the top of your voice.

Lite option: the Tour may pass over Ventoux twice but there’s no reason that you must; if you’d prefer to stop in Malaucene after the first summit, you’re welcome to do so; this stage then becomes 143km with 2,927m of ascent.

Why we chose it: There were plenty of tempting Ventoux stages to choose from but this stood out not only for the obvious fun of two different ascents but also because it’s another Tour highlight we never got to ride. Many Le Loopers were looking forward to this epic stage in 2021 – now’s our chance!

Le Loop Logistics
Start: Sorgues hotel
Finish: Transfer to St Paul 3 Chateaux hotel

Stage 6: St Paul Trois Chateaux – Mende. 188km / 3073m. Thursday 1st July
Year of Stage: 2021

Expect a summer holiday feeling for the first few miles of today’s stage, as we wend our way west, leaving Provence through fields of lavender and sunflowers and gradually moving into the winding roads of the Cevennes. This is a region less talked about in England with Provence getting much more air time, but it is a cyclists’ paradise with quiet roads, epic scenery, great tarmac and smiles on everyone’s faces.

The afternoon will be more demanding as the route takes us into the foothills of the Massif Central and through the craggy gorges of the Ardèche river. Nearly half of the day’s climbing happens in the third quarter of the stage and after yesterday’s efforts, that’s going to feel something of a struggle, albeit one with maximum scenic reward…

There’s a nice reward though; a gorgeous 20km descent that takes us down into Mende where all that stands between you and a beer is the final leg-busting climb up to the aerodrôme above Mende. Be warned – it’s brutal (but you can cut straight to the hotel if a kilometre at 11% and another at 13% strikes you as one climb too many, especially as there’s another chance to give it a go tomorrow morning!).

Why we chose it: We had a strong wish to visit the most southern section of the Massif Central for the feeling of remoteness and beautiful, quiet roads. There were a few ways to pass through and several stages competing for the role but this particular stage won due to being a perfect showcase of the region and having the Mende Jalabert (aerodrome) climb; a memorable feature which first caused our riders consternation back in 2010 and makes a “fun” bonus.

In years past this type of stage (over 3,000m of climbing but not technically a mountain stage) have seemed extra tough because they’re usually accompanied by morning or evening transfers, making the day longer and the sleep deprivation worse. Here, we’ve linked 3 stages through the middle of France with decreasing difficulty and no transfers and in doing so, we hope that the cycling will be both more manageable and more enjoyable.

Lite option: the Tour may pass over Ventoux twice but there’s no reason that you must; If you’d prefer to stop in Malaucene after the first summit, you’re welcome to do so; this stage then becomes 143km with 2927m of ascent.

Le Loop Logistics
Start: St Paul 3 Chateaux hotel
Finish: Mende hotel

Stage 7: Mende – Albi. 189km / 2332m. Fri 2^nd July
Year of Stage: 2005 (in reverse)

Starting off high above Mende, today’s ride sets off with an optional climb back up to the Côte de la Croix Neuve (the brutal finish of yesterday’s stage). Then following the descent into Mende (or straight from the hotel), we climb straight away, up through the quiet granite village of Chabrits, towards the vast plateau where we spend the next couple of hours of our ride. There are few flat sections here, but mostly the road undulates, without significant elevation changes, giving us a chance to enjoy the sweeping green pastures, huge skies, and handsome brown cows for which this area is known.

The world changes rapidly around us as we soar down the 10km descent that follows, a ribbon of perfect tarmac leading us back into the shelter of the valley where we meet the Tarn at the picturesque village of Boyne. We stay with the river for an hour or so, following a mostly-flat road that winds along the side of the valley, flanked by wooded hills and shining limestone cliffs. And as we begin to climb out of Millau, we’re treated to one of France’s great wonders: the Millau Viaduct. This ethereal span is the tallest bridge in the world – and arguably it’s as much a work of art as it is a feat of engineering. The original version of this stage (which we’re riding in reverse) would have passed under the bridge just six months after it first opened to traffic, in December 2004.

Following a brief descent, our route continues to roll along the remote Cernon valley, and once we’ve passed the honey-coloured buildings of Saint-Roman-de-Cernon, we’re on the same gorgeous road all the way to Albi. The Côte de la Bessède is one of our longest climbs today: a very manageable 9km at 3% with views out over the hilltops to the north. And then comes our hardest ascent: an 8km stretch of road, with a gradient of around 5.5%, that wriggles its way up this steep-sided valley, through green forests where humans have lived since Neolithic times – we may spot some of their menhirs alongside the road.

There are a couple of short climbs during the final approach to Albi, but overall, we lose over 700m in under 40km, so you can spin your legs, enjoy the sense of the landscape opening out around you, and think about dinner!

Why we chose it: Firstly, the big rivers of SW France create some stunning landscapes – with remote gorges and high plateaux – that we didn’t want to miss. The roads that wind through and link these geological features are stunning with this stage taking us out of the Massif Central and through the Aveyron and Tarn regions (both named after their rivers). Secondly, Albi is the most gorgeous of stage towns; not too big, not too little, a hotel in the centre and dinner on the main square soaking up the sunny evening atmosphere. Although we had to go back to 2005 to find it, the scenery we pass through today (the stage is reversed from 2005, making it a net descent rather that a net ascent), makes this one of the most beautiful transition stages we could have hoped for.

Le Loop Logistics
Start: Mende hotel
Finish: Albi hotel

Stage 8: Albi – Toulouse. 167km / 1879m. Sat 3^rd July
Year of Stage: 2019

A gentle day today, which will feel relatively short as the kilometres speed by. It’s a chance to take our time and savour the southern sun, since the Pyrenees are just over the horizon.

Following the emerald-green Tarn out of Albi, we’ll almost immediately pass through Castelnau-de-Lévis, with its towering medieval castle, and shortly afterwards the village of Cordes-sur-Ciel will loom above us, its honey-coloured buildings stacked vertiginously on a hillside high above the road. Shortly afterwards we encounter our first climb of the day – an eminently manageable 3km at 4.2% – on quiet winding roads.

A swooping 7km descent takes us briefly into the gorge of the river Aveyron, overlooked by ancient fortifications that seem to have grown out of the rocks themselves, before we turn away from the river and embark on a truly lovely section of road, which undulates gently across the countryside, sheltered by avenues of plane trees.

Remember to glance back as we cross the Tarn again when we reach Gaillac: the bridge is overlooked by the impressive Abbaye Saint Michel; a centre of wine production for many centuries and now a museum. The day continues to bump along, never horribly steep but with plenty of sections that will need some effort. Crossing the tree-lined Agout river in Lavaur, whose stylish red-brick buildings we can admire as we pass, is the signal that our reward for these efforts is about to come… it’s a great, fast run into Toulouse to complete a stage that should fulfil all your South-of-France dreams; of wheeling past fields of sunflowers, admiring ancient fortified villages and wondering if the wine on tonight’s menu will be from one of the vineyards we’ve ridden through.

Why we chose it: The Le Loop staff have a soft spot for this stage because we rode it together (over 2.5 days!) on a staff weekend in 2019, just before the Tour passed through. And the same reasons we chose it for our staff weekend are the same reasons it has its place in the Tour of Tours; roads quiet enough to chat, elevation gentle enough to make chat possible (!), a chance to swing by Albi and a true feeling of rural France. Imagine the perfect long weekend training ride: This is it!

Le Loop Logistics
Start: Albi hotel
Finish: Toulouse hotel